Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Here's me all dressed up. I sure felt elegant. Really royal. But after an hour or so I stripped it all off and ran about in my birthday suit. Felt good, too.

But to humor my mom, I stayed everly so still in the car, inside the bank (I made a lot of new friends today) and for a while at work. Then, I put my feet down and said "enough". Still, I wanted you to see me in costume before I got all mussed.

Oh gosh! I couldn't WAIT to get dressed up. Mom helped me get my costume on and ....oh rats, guess what? I'm only a "small", not a "medium", so we had to pin my dress up. And my hat? We had to double the strap twice through the loops. But the result was pretty good.

See? This is MEEEEEE in my Halloween costume. My first ever Halloween. How do I look? I'm in my car seat on the way to work and even though Mom took some other pictures, I couldn't wait to share with you. Good thing, I might add.

After going to the bank and showing my costume off, we got to the office and I got so tired of tripping over my skirt, and of the hat falling over my eyes, that I just decided to get undressed. Yup. Right then and there, off it came. It's laying sort of on and off the bottom shelf of the etagiere (bookshelf) so at least our customers will know we celebrate Halloween.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Today was Mom's facial at "Bellissima!", Miss Cathleen's shop. She's been looking forward to it all week. Miss Cathleen takes such good care of her and she kinda relaxes so much I can't tell if she's alive or not. We got there early so I spent time getting to know Crystal, another one of Miss Cathleen's clients, before we went into the little dark room with the nice smells. Here's me waiting for Mom to go home. See how much of a lady I am? Chairs are for clients and I figure I'm not only a client but a special friend, too. Today, I was so everly quiet that Miss Cathleen kept checking on me to see what I was doing. After she was done with Mom, I got my walk. She says I run really fast and made her do four whole laps in the parking lot.

Tonight, I'm really tired. I'm on the desk under the desk lamp. It's kind of bright and I've figured out how to turn it off. I just lean on the little button and "poof", it's all dark. I doze off and then my tummy gurgles and wakes me up. Every so often Mom sniffs and says "Eeeeyeeeww.....do you have to go out?", but I just roll over and skootch myself into another position. I really don't have to do anything at all except sleep right now. She'll live through it. She's had a lot of practice, thanks to me, and I tell YOUUUU! Odiferous smells do NOT cause permanent brain damage nor cause one's nostrils to wither and die.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Got to sleep in an extra hour - sort of. We went to bed early and woke up at the usual time except it was an hour earlier. Got it? Oh, well. (yawn) So I went out and checked for cats. All clear. Reported back to headquarters "No cats". The Officer in Command (Mom) said she was going out for a bit and would be back later, and to "Babysit the birds and take phone messages!". I babysat pretty well, and the phone didn't ring, so I did a good job.

Then we piled into the car and went to work. Mom did, anyway. I crawled into my office bed for a snooze. Babysitting can be tiring. Peanut Page's mom and human sister came to the office so I said "Hello!". Peanut stayed home today. We came home, had lunch and shared some cashews. Although the way Mom shares is like ten for her, one for me. It's ok, though. I hear cashews are fattening. (hee hee)

Going to go watch some scary sci-fi movie and then "Desperate Housewives". It IS SUNDAAAAAY! Hope you all had a good weekend. Only two more days to Halloween.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Saturday! Whoop de do! Pretty dull except some sun bathing, a bath and some bird watching. Here's me hopping up and down to visit with my bird brother, Kal. He's the only one that's nice to me. Every morning we say "Hello" to each other. Even though we speak different languages, Kal speaks bird and I speak dog, we sort of understand that we are related, both being adopted and all. Sort of like Madonna and her family, except Mom doesn't look like Madonna and...oh, here I go, blabbing on again.This is me after my bath and blow dry. I really enjoy those showers with Mom. Except I get shampooed first and then wrapped up in the towel and tossed out of the nice warm shower. She says it's hard for her to shower with me watching. If you ask me, she's just afraid I'll hog all the water. Well, that, and I kind of get in her way. Then, when she gets out and towels off, I get to sit in her lap while I get blow dried. That part I like except for tangles, not that I have many. But every so often the comb tugs a bit and I say "Yipe!" and she says "Oh, don't be a baby, Mary-Margaret!". And that's how it goes.

I'm not sure what we're going to do next. Maybe some laundry? Maybe go to the store for more chicken...I hope? You can tell Mom needs to vacuum around the bird cage, too. We get to sleep an hour later tomorrow because it's the end of daylight savings time. I'm looking forward to that.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Pizza for lunch! Oh boy. But Margie and Mom were pretty stingy with stuff. Like I'd get cheese or sausage, but you think I'd get a whole piece? Nope! Mom was afraid it might upset my stomach. I barfed earlier, but nothing of note. Probably some birdseed. I don't seem to digest that very well.

Tonight, I had chicken. My most favorite, don't you know? Sliced and diced on a saucer. Yum!! Then we started to watch a movie about a cheetah. It was called "Duma" and is about an absolutely HUGE kitty that can growl. I liked it fine, but Mom couldn't stand to see the part where the cat chases the ostrich. I didn't mind it. Duma didn't catch the ostrich, but he did find a nest of eggs and that's what the boy and the man had for dinner. Duma had his own egg raw.

OK...let's see. I made lots of new friends today. Even nice Mr. McGill from next door came over and visited a whole lot with me. He really wanted a notary but then I guess I totally charmed him and he didn't want to leave. I have that effect on some people, I'm told. The only problem really was when a lady came in to bring us a service and I was snooping through her purse. I found a nifty piece of paper that just begged to be shredded. Uh oh! It had the defendant's address on it. Fortunately for me our client liked me, and liked putting together jigsaw puzzles. So it all worked out well.

So that's my day. How was yours? Hmmmmmmm??

Love and puppy kisses,

Mary-Margaret "two by four" O'Brien

(PS - I think I'm gaining weight again. I'm more square and solid than ever before. Mom said right to my face "Oh, Mary-Margaret! I think you'll make a good doorstop!". Was that nice of her? I don't think so. But she does tend to kid me a bit. Maybe it was just a joke?)

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Mom won't let me go outside. The fire is probably 30 or 40 miles away but the air is really thick with smoke. We accidently left our sun roof open and the inside of our car had pieces of ash all over.

So far, four firemen and one Yorkie have died, but that's all I know right now. Lots of things are burned up, and it makes me really sad for all the little animals, and the children and families of the brave firemen. This picture is looking directly into the sun which is setting in the west behind the hills of De Luz, only a mile away. You can barely see the hills.

Prayer group? Please please pray for all the creatures that this fire will affect? All this happened because some kids thought it would be fun to start a fire. An animal would never do this....only a human.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

..or so I'm told. This morning while I was doing my early morning sniffathon in the back yard I noticed a really pretty flower just laying there. The next door neighbor has these trees with red flowers on them, and I was thinking that might be a nice present for Mom. So I fiddled around with it and got it somewhat loose from the spider web it was entangled with, and marched right back into the house with the flower dangling off my chin hairs from the spider web.

All of a sudden I didn't feel so hot. I went upstairs to find a ray of sunshine to lay in, and just stretched out. Then I started urping a bit. Then, oh wow. I threw up. No red flower or anything nasty, but Mom kept an eye on me, saying stuff like "Oh, poor Mary-Margaret, are you feeling a bit punk today?". I even threw up on her new comforter. She just rolled her eyes and told me that she'd waited two years to put it on her bed because she was worried about dog-barf, and finally loosened up about it last month, and here I go and I'm her worst nightmare. She didn't tell me about the "nightmare" part because she didn't want to hurt my feelings. Anyway, I think she got it all mopped up ok.

Then, she takes me into the bathroom and gives me a fresh bowl of water, and washes my face with a cool cloth. I have to admit that I liked the attention, but I also think I'll stay away from pretty red flowers from now on.

I played with my piggy a lot today. Mrs. Mercer came by with some work and hurried through it so she'd have time to play with me. She liked my piggy, too. It's my most favorite toy now. I put it in my bed and had a nap today with all my babies and toys. I'm a pretty lucky little girl, I think.

Miss Patti came to see me (not the groomer, but the court lady) and we had a good time visiting. A couple of other clients came by, too. Mom says she thinks they come to see me more than her. She's silly. We each have a job to do. Mine is to keep people mellow, and hers is to take away the burden of their problems. It works.

OK...time for bed. G'night everybody.

Love, Mary-Margaret O'BrienTherapy Dog

PS - Mom's trying to decide on the color of my vest. At the airport, they said I should be wearing yellow, but I kind of like the blue. Any suggestions?

As you can see, I responded immediately to Aunt Leslie's suggestion about leaving cats alone. I will consider her suggestion, but ohhhhhhhhhh....I really do love my hobby. I make love, not war. Cats are ok, I guess, but they really DO need to be taught some manners and I AM the one to do it. I think. Do you?

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Me and my Auntie Leslie have a special pouch that we can send stuff to each other in. I thought she didn't love me anymore, especially 'cause she thinks I don't like cats. You know, she has so many cats and raccoons, I don't even think SHE knows how many she has. Oh, and she has a bunny...who eats computer cables. But, still, she loves it. So first, you see my new squeaky piggy. I LOVE my piggy. I drag it around by the nose. I'm sure I can find room for it in my bed. Probably. If I skootch a couple of my babies over a bit.

Aunt Leslie sent me a letter, too. It said "Please leave the cats alone" (or something like that). I can't remember exactly. I got carried away shredding it, and I guess you could say, I truly digested her words. I know Mom got a picture of it when I was finished, but maybe she needs to delete some stuff from her phone because it didn't get here. Maybe tomorrow.

Really, I work hard. I'm the back up receptionist and when Sonia isn't here, someone (ahem?) has to greet the clients. This is a picture of me taking a little break from my responsibilities.

OOOOOOHHHHH! (hee hee) Sarabi can't have rawhide anymore so her mum was looking for a substitute? And one of my yorkie pals suggested Bully Sticks but I never heard of that. So I got my mom to click on the link. After I got done blushing and revived Mom, I got to thinking. I guess there truly is a use for everything. Really there is. Think of the fertilizer king, Bandini? Well, I wonder what you'd call the guy who figured out what to do with these? Hmmmmmm?

I got a pouch from Auntie Leslie today with a nifty surprise .... And a letter. When I get home, Mom'll download the pictures and you can see exactly what I thought of her letter. (I LOVE you, Auntie Leslie!!).

Monday, October 23, 2006

Ohhhhhhhhhh....LOL....I get such a kick out of yanking her chain. Making Mom crazy. Honest! She's such an easy mark.

First off, I have to tell you that I was absolutely perfect today. I slept in, got up, ate some bird seed and threw up, went outside to visit my friends (the Cat Family), and was everly so good all day long. I was so good, I couldn't stand myself.

After dinner, just before the Bachelor comes on, which me and Mom watch, I finally got to go outside. Of course I raced up the hill, arfing (friendly like...I'm not a mean dog, Auntie Leslie) and after a bit, Mom says "Come on in". Hah, I said. She says "Bedtime", and I keep going. She says "Charlee Bear", then she does the door slam thing, then the garage thing, then the trash can thing. Nothing inspired me to alter my course. Except one thing.

It gets reeeeeeaaalllly quiet. Then I hear her say in a very calm voice: "Mary-Margaret! Come!", and that's it. Huh? I look at her and there she is, just standing on the walkway looking right at me. I flit around for a sec....still nothing. She's like a statue, glaring me down. Oh fine, I think. She's really serious! So I walk (not run, mind you, but walk) right to her. I get about 6 feet away and stop. She says "Good girl. Come in now!". So I did, and guess what? I get rewarded with a Charlee Bear.

I think it's just a communication thing. I like to play, and let's face it. She's not as young as she used to be. But you know what I did? Hmmmmm? I went straight upstairs and waited for her. Then, when we settled down to watch Lorenzo Borghese and his potential brides to be, I got real lovey-dovey. Oh gosh, I just wanted to kiss my Mom all over. You know she's ticklish on the bottom of her feet? She goes "eeeyeewww, Mary-Margaret!", but I just switch feet. She hides them under the covers, but I burrow under like a gopher and get right to it. Then I play with her hands. I chomp on her thumbs and fingers, gently of course. She hides them under her back, and I scratch her sides to get at them. I grab her hand and try to pull her with me. Sometimes, I just FEEEEEEEL the love and I can't hold back. You know what I mean? (PS - I also had to go some serious "out", but ended up using the piddle pad in my private bathroom. OK...so maybe it was 50% love and 50% desperation? But if she thinks all that was "love", I'm not going to burst her bubble!)

After a bit of that, I curl up in the comforter and watch the "ladies" embarrass themselves all over Lorenzo. Hmmmmph! He can't even speak Italian, but he seems like a really nice guy. Mom and me pretty much agree that it should either be Jennifer or Sadie. Good riddance to that Desiree person.

OK...that's it for tonight. Just wanted to share that I had the warm-fuzzies tonight, and I think I need to set my Auntie Leslie straight. I DO sort of like Cats. Even my cousin Mo is a cat, and my cousin Jack. It's just a game. Sort of like tag or hide-n-seek. I just like to WIN sometimes, you know??

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Oh gawd....I confess. I AM obsessed. I need help. First off, I get left alone while Mom goes out to breakfast. Then, we go work work work. It's way after billing day and we've got to get those bills out. I am very "respectful", keeping in mind Mom's comment yesterday. I'm quiet, only barking "Hello!" at Peanut Page, the attorney's chihuahua. OK...and maybe I flipped on my back a few times for Peanut and we kissed each other a bit, but that doesn't make me cheap.

We get home, I go out and race around, clearing the yard of cats and letting everyone in the neighborhood know I'm baaa-aaack! Then, Mom calls me in for dinner and I inhale it. Then I go back out, do my doggie duties, and come back in for "Desperate Housewives" (we get the East Coast feed at 6:00PM).

I'm just laying there on the back of the big comfy leather chair and I see this CAT .(gasp)..IN MY YARD...cruising around with no thought to it being MY territory. It was hopping on it's hind legs, playing ...dancing....you know, what CATS do. Then another cat appears on the very top of the cedar fence. It lays there and tells the younger cat to jump up. I am going crazy. Oh please please LET ME OUT, but Mom says "No, Mary-Margaret! No more!". The young cat leaps onto a fence post and shimmies up to the top. Now they BOTH just lay there, LOOKING at me...helplessly, foolishly barking my head off. I feel so ashamed.

I run over to the slider and I'm arfing and crying and scratching on the glass, and she will NOT let me out. I run in circles...first to her, then the glass ... then back to Mom .. then to the glass. I'm hysterical. But Mom says "No. You may NOT go outside!". It's like a knife to my heart. Finally, I go and hop up on her and then I go to bounce off her stomach back to the floor, but she catches my foot and we struggle. Of course, she wins. I get put on a "time out" (see my Puppy School days for a description of a "time out"). Ohhhhhhhhhhh...by now, I am sobbing. This is SOOOOO NOT FAIR.

I'm crushed, and my spirit is dampened, and my heart hurts from the sadness. All I want is a CAT, and I'm being asked to quit "cold turkey"? Is that reasonable, I ask YOUUUU????

I'm dictating this from my scrunched up pile of dish towels under the desk lamp where I'm trying to go to sleep in the hopes that this day will soon pass. My eyes are half open and my breathing is still steady. I haven't broken into sweats yet, but I'm sure that would be next except I've heard dogs don't perspire. I keep thinking "Cats cats cats and MORE cats". It's so painful. (sigh)

One day at a time, I keep telling myself. As of about 9:00PM tonight I will be cat-free for almost 24 hours.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Sarabi's mom just called MY mom and Sarabi needs our prayers. They worked so well last time we just got an encore. Sarabi was chewing on a rawhide bone and ...oh golly...a piece broke off and lodged in her esophhhhhh....esoph.....her throat. She's at the Doctor's now, and they're going to knock her out and try to get it out without surgery, but it that doesn't work, then they need our help.

I just don't know what's going on. I can't seem to get along with my Mom today. She says I'm an incorrigible (whatever that means) teenager. So, I can't help it. I don't need to be told what to do. I want to chase cats. She says I have a weird obsession. I do NOT. I don't even have a toy box, and Lord knows I have no obsessions, valuable OR weird.

So there are these cats on the downslope. Whenever I look over the wall I can SEEEEEE them. Little eyeballs staring back. So I bark...just saying hello, mind you. And this goes on for a bit. Then Mom goes "Suppertime, Mary-Margaret", and I go inside, wolf it down and race back out to play again. I do this for a while, then Mom says "Mary-Margaret! Time to come in!". Thing is, I don't WANT to.

She does all her tricks, like slamming the garage door, saying "chicken" in a sugary voice, and "Charlee Bears", but I do NOT want to come in. She comes out after me and I duck through her legs, racing up the slope and down the slope. I'm having the best time ever. And she pulls a new trick out of her bag.

She goes out into the garage, and then out the side door. She turns her back to me and says, pretty loudly "Oh, my. What do we have HERE, Mary-Margaret? Trash cans? And what's in them, I wonder?". OK...she's got my attention. I wander over and she says "Oh, good girl". And the next thing you know, I'm in the garage with her, and the side door is shut.

She opens the door into the kitchen, but ...hee hee...she forgot to close the slider over my doggie door. I go in and whoosh right back out again. "YOU STOP THAT, MARY-MARGARET", she says. So we go through the whole routine with the trash again. Yes...I admit it. I fell for it again. Only THIS time, she remembers to close my doggie door and I am TRAPPED. I sulk a bit, but she makes up to me with a Charlee Bear. Only I have to "sit", "stay", "down"...you know the drill. I don't mind, but it's an "alpha" thing. I like having the last word.

So then she says I don't respect her. I DOOOOO! I really do, but she thinks just because I use her to climb on the back of the chair, and find her stomach rather springy to leap off on the way down...I would think that might be a compliment? But NOOOOOOO. She just says "Ow ow ow, Mary-Margaret. You STOP that!".

So you can see, it's been that kind of day. Even earlier when we were at the office, and I was trying to get her attention by standing between her knees and scratching her stomach, it was "OW OW OW". Then she decided to clamp my head between her knees like a vise. I STILL have a headache from that one.

OK...rant over. I'm sure things will be fine in the morning. I know she doesn't think so sometimes, but I really DO love her. I just need to express myself, you know?

You already know how much I love to help Mom clean the bird cage, right? Do you know why? Hmmmmmm?? Like maybe I'm sort of hoping for a little something to come my way? Like a sunflower seed, a dried date or a peanut? Maybe even a little bird brother or sister to "kiss"?? I wait.....and I wait! (But hee hee... I have a secret!) She says "Mary-Margaret, you stay OUT of the trash bag!". Uh huh....I know all that, and I also know that if she doesn't see me I won't get in trouble. So she goes and washes out the bird's water cups and when she comes back, I'm just sitting there....deet de doooo...... And then she says..."You hold still, Mary-Margaret. I want this for evidence". Always the investigator, she is, but I know I'm clean. Er.....right? Oh, drat!! Got one caught on my right eyebrow and I missed it. Darn darn darn!! Double click on the last picture to see it really good. But it was fun to try and maybe NEXT time, I'll get all the way inside before I get caught. Don't know what it IS about birdy poop papers that fascinates me so!

Love,

Mary-Margaret "Birdy Lou II" O'Brien

(PS - My Auntie C is "Birdy Lou from Kalamazoo" already, so I have to be Birdy Lou II)

Friday, October 20, 2006

For the past few weeks Mom was noticing that work was pretty slow. It's NEVER been this slow in October for as long as she can remember. Even my pouch was empty half the time. But this week it's like everyone wants stuff done NOW, if not sooner. She's getting a bit overwhelmed, and I play it safe by staying out of her way.

We've even had to turn work down because we don't have enough people to do it. So mostly today, I just entertained myself. I waited a couple of hours before flipping my water bowl over. Usually, I do it within the first five minutes, but I felt like dragging it out. I went through a few wastebaskets looking for granola bar wrappers, and had some success. Mostly I just napped until it was time to go.

I know....boring boring boring. Sorry, y'all. But that's just the way it was today. And we have to work all weekend to catch up. That doesn't seem fair, but thats the way things go, you know?

One thing I REALLY like about the weather is that it's a bit nippy at night. Mom's got a silk comforter (or it looks and feels like silk - can't tell these days) which is everly so soft. Sooooo...instead of burrowing under the covers and cuddling with Mom like I used to, I get under the flap of the comforter. It's sooooooooooooo cozy and tickles my nose, and feels soooo good on my toes.But the absolute truth, if you want to know, is that I can sleep just about anywhere. Like here's me on Mom's desk at night before we go to bed. She had folded some dish towels and I figured, oh what the heck...they look comfy. So I skootched them up together to make a nest and next thing you know, I'm out like a light. Here's me, ready to leave for work after a really good night's sleep.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

I just wanted you all to meet her. Oh, isn't she just the sweetest little thing? Hmmmmm? She belongs to my mom's dentist's office lady, Jackie. Well, actually, she used to belong to Jackie's mom, but she's at "the bridge" now, waiting for Zoe, so Jackie is taking care of Zoe and Jackie's dad, too.

Ahhhhh...this lady knows what I like. After yesterday, I sure needed something. I suppose I could have relaxed when I had my foot bath last night, but I was still pretty upset about my art work being washed off the floor mats. That took a lot of effort to make such a pretty pattern, but I guess I'm just not appreciated in some ways. Sooo...I'm kicking back thinking ok..no more spiders or ink pens. What's left? I ask you? And Mrs. Lillard comes in. Well, you KNOW she's one of my most favorite clients. And I hopped up into her lap and right away I get a massage. Ohhhh boy. She is really REALLY good at that. MMMMMMM!

I absolutely LOVE Mrs. Lillard and she can take me home with her anytime she wants. Really she can. I tried everly so hard to go with her today but as soon as we got to the door next to the elevator I got a bit choked up. I mean, I love my mom, too, and I don't think she'd be very happy if I left. Mrs. Lillard smiled at me and picked me up. As soon as I saw Mom, I started reaching for her. Yeah....I think I'll stay home for a while longer.

My Uncle Jason sent this to Mom. He was probably thinking maybe I'd be inspired or something. Hey...for the record, I'm very happy in my life and have NO aspirations beyond ridding our back yard of RUDE cats. Still......well, maybe I'll think about it. I tell YOUUUU....this Skidboot guy is something pretty special. If you have a sec, click on the link and see what I mean, ok?

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Well? It was just laying there on the floor and someone had to pick it up...why not MEEEEEE???

So I'm pretty quiet and Mom checks me out to see why. Good gosh, you'd think she saw another spider or something. Next thing I know she's picked me up and she's holding me far away from her with one hand while she calls my doctor with the other. All I did was chew on the cartridge until some soupy black stuff comes squirting out. Yick! Black ink doesn't really TASTE all the good, but it's fun to smear on your feet and make little black footprints all over the plastic chair mats and the blue office carpet. Sonia pretty much got it off one of the mats, and Mom says she's bringing Resolve to the office tomorrow. I don't think she means her attitude, either.

You can get an idea of my artwork from the picture. See all the little spots on the carpet and on the mat? And this was AFTER they'd cleaned up. Well, I got home and didn't even touch the floor before Mom turned on the faucet and next thing you know I got a mini-bath. She thinks she got all the ink out. I hope so. I wouldn't want to see what would happen to MEEEEE if I messed up her white carpet.

Now you know...my afternoon was entertaining, but I kinda got into some trouble. So far, she's not speaking to me. I hope I don't get grounded or anything.

...was crawling across the carpet at work. Well, naturally I would want to check him out, so I followed it. It ran faster, and I kept my nose was right on it's tail. So I'm having this really good time, see? And so guess what happens next? Hmmmmmm?

My Mom says "Whatcha doin', Mary-Margaret"? Then she says, "What IS that, Mary-Margaret"?. And THEN she says "AAAAAAAAAACK....NO NO NO NO NO" and she races over and she lifts up her foot and then she STOMPS it. "Ugh", she says. And she goes and gets a napkin and picks it up, all squishy, and says "Eeeyeeew....a Black Widow". Now I don't know how she can tell that this spider is a lady, or that her husband is dead, but that spider was all dressed up in black wearing a red vest. I thought it looked rather interesting.

Oh...and I forgot to tell you. We're driving down Jefferson earlier to go serve an attorney with some papers, 'cause he called and said he'd be there for a couple of hours (we see him all the time), and I look over and there's my friend, Rick the Locksmith. He's waving at me so I start hopping up and down in my car seat and talking to him like "Aroo...Aroo" and waving at him. Mom gets up to the signal and says (as usual) "What ARE YOU DOING, Mary-Margaret?". And then she sees Rick and rolls the window down for me. Well, he seemed so surprised that I remembered him and we passed a few words back and forth until the signal changed. He's such a nice man. He and I are really good friends ever since he changed our locks. He even waved and said "Good Bye, Mary-Margaret!".

So after we serve the attorney we go to "Farmer Boy" and Mom gets a double cheeseburger, and I get "one hamburger patty, neat". Then we go back to the office for lunch. This was actually BEFORE I met the spider, but I get sidetracked at times.

All in all, it was one of my better days. I don't think Mom feels the same way, though. I heard her mumbling something about the "client from hell" and slamming down the phone a couple of times. I hope her day is better tomorrow.

Monday, October 16, 2006

At least I knew what to expect. No canoe rides...no roasting marshmallows...no singing around the campfire. Oh gosh, but it was sooooooo fun. Really! First off, it was like Yorkie week. Most of my camp buddies are Yorkies and we will write each other, I just KNOW we will. We shook paws on it. First off, there's Tugboat (a Pug, not a Yorkie), then Bailey, Ernie Crawford, Maxwell, Rocco & Murphy Sullivan, and Sophie & Teddy. Like I said, it was mostly us Yorks.

We all ran on the grass and played (when it wasn't raining). Miss Lois was there to greet me when I got checked in on Friday, and she is one of my very everly so best friends. We hugged and kissed a lot. Then, we ate our dinners (us pups, I mean, not Miss Lois), and like I said - when all the humans went home and it got dark? We told spooky CAT stories. We all had them to tell, but we promised each other to keep them secret. You know?

Mom picked me up about ten o'clock this morning. I tell YOUUUU! I was absolutely so excited to see her I practically FLEW across the room to her. Tons of kisses and hugs for both of us. I think she missed me as much as I did her. You know what? I think a few days apart gives us a much deeper appreciation of each other and our relationship. Don't you?

Still.....I'm hoping that the next time will be a long way off. I really missed my own bed with the silk comforter. I even hopped in it way before bedtime just because I missed the feel of it on my toes.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Dear Mom - I'm really having a great time. This sleepover thing could catch on, you know? Me and the other kids think it is SOOOOO kewl to talk all night long. We tell cat stories. OOOOOOOOOO.....I shiver when I think about how SCARY they are. We get lots of attention, good food, and have play time a couple of times a day outside on the grass. I can't wait to tell you all about it. I miss you. Thanks for remembering to pack my Teddy bear.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

One of our clients came to visit me today. He's so silly. First, he talks about me as if I'm not even there. And THEN he starts talking what HE thinks is dog language to me. I kept looking at him, cocking my head from one side to the other, and HE thought I was egging him on. Honestly. Do I look stupid or something? But he kept it up so when I could finally get a word in edgewise, I told him how silly he sounded and to please speak English to me. Unfortunately, it came out sort of like "wuuuuuuuurrrrr....wrrf...eeerrrrr??". But I think he might have got the idea. He was the client of ours who took us to lunch when I was just a baby and went and got my stuffed ferret from the restaurant when I forgot it. He's really very nice, just totally silly.

Anyway, that was pretty much my day. Mom's going to a conference tomorrow and I get to go stay with my pals at PMC (Pet Medical Center). Margie will be here at the house taking care of stuff, and Sonia will be in the office. So it'll hardly be like she's even gone. I'm a big girl now. I ca...ca...can ..(sniff)... st...st...stay (wwwaaaah!) all by myself (BAAAAWWWLLLL) ...(sniff). Don't worry about me. I'll be (snuffle) just FINE!!! REALLY I will!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Today I went to my personal stylist, Marilyn, and got my hair and nails done. Boy, I tell youuuuuuuuuu! I'm not used to not getting my way and Miss Marilyn, who has always been just as sweet as pie to me, actually picked me up by the SCRUFF of my neck two times. That's TWO times! She even told Mom I wasn't being very cooperative and told her what she did and Mom...ohhhh! I'm so mad...Mom said "GOOOD!! She needs to know you are the alpha female!".

Well, I got my feelings hurt. I mean, I just loved and kissed all over Miss Marilyn because I don't like to be misunderstood. Not at all. I was just telling her how I liked to have my hair done and please not too close on the ears, ya know? Oh gosh. Well, it's all ok now. And I do everly so love Miss Marilyn. But, honestly, ME? Misbehaving? I can't imagine that!

Oh.....and guess what? I was SO very good after Mom picked me up and we went back to her office and worked a bit, that I got McDONAAAAAAAALDs again. This time, I learned to order "one hamburger, neat!". That means with absolutely NO onions or anything on it. It was dee-licious! I love McDonalds!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

"The Yorkie prayer group is magic! Sarabi is feeling much better this morning. She got up and ate a treat and seemed to be walking ok. She did not move all night, not even a tiny bit. Hopefully this will be the same as last time when she was nine months old. When it happened then it lasted about 24 hours and when she got better it never came back again, until yesterday anyway.We will keep you posted.

My very best friend ever in the whole world, Sarabi, is not feeling well. Her mom wrote me yesterday to tell me and I figured hey! If we all put our paws together and prayed really hard, that might do the trick. She's having some weakness in her back legs and can't walk. That happened to my Aunt Susie a few times, too. Turned out that her back was out but you never know. Prayers are a good thing.

Monday, October 09, 2006

I admit it. The fact is, I AM SHORT. I have to be creative to accomplish my goals. Here's how I spy cats in my backyard from the upstairs bedroom window. See how I stand on my tippie-toes on Mom's bed? Seeeeeeee? She wasn't supposed to catch me but wouldn't you know she did AND she had that darned camera with her?

We had a holiday today so I didn't have to go to work. I got to do some serious sniffing on the side slope. It was kinda wet out there, too. Felt really good on my toes, but wasn't appreciated when I went to check out Mom's clean laundry. She said I made little wet footprints, and tracked some grass and mud in the house. And, I ask you, what's wrong with that? Hmmmm??

Let's see. I found an old ant stake that was all rusted up from being so old. I brought that in. It got the usual response of "Ick, Mary-Margaret. Give it to ME!". (sigh) Then, I found some twigs and managed to get those all the way up to the bedroom. That inspired Mom to vacuum when she wasn't sure if she was going to or not. Now the upstairs is all clean, but my twigs are gone. Then, I found a really long rusty roofing nail and brought that inside. Again I got the "ICK!" reaction and lost my nail.

She's getting pretty picky about what I can and can't bring inside. Like what I can is NOTHING. And what I can't is EVERYTHING. So I go out and just sit by the back fence and sniff....or sit quietly on the slope (where I blend in really good) and wait for Mom to come hollerin' "Mary-Margaret! Where ARE you?". Then I give myself away with a giggle, but I jiggle and wiggle when I laugh, so my tags make a noise and she goes "Oh, THERE you are!". And she goes back in the house. Well, it's no fun if she knows where I am so I come racing in through my private little door and we hug and laugh. Then I take a break and do the whole thing all over again.

I'm writing early today because I know how some people like to read my blog early and I don't want to disappoint my friends. We go see Miss Cathleen today at 4:00. I'll probably get another "paw-di-cure" which I absolutely love. Especially when I get the lotion rubbed on my belly. OHHHHHHH...it feels SOOOOOO good.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

This morning I noticed it was missing from my blog. It's still gone, so Mom wrote to Alan, the nice man in the UK who made my banner, and asked him if he'd check on it. It was linked to a site on "wanadoo.uk" and it might be down. Oh, listen to me. I just repeat what Mom says. I don't know a thing about computers or anything. Except I feel very safe if I'm napping on Mom's desk right next to the keyboard. I've pretty much learned which keys not to push, because her computer resets itself if I do. You don't wanna hear what my mom says when I push those buttons.

Today, I got left alone for about 4 hours. I handled it well. Just hung out and watched for cats. Then hung out some more, watched "Sounder" with Mom. Pretty neat movie about a sharecropper family and their dog and their life back in the 1930s. I have NO idea when that was. Dogs, as you probably noticed, don't have a real keen sensation of the passing of time. Unless we're clock watchers, which I am. I always know when it's 5:00PM and time to go home. I go and tell mom by standing between her knees and pawing at her tummy. She hates that. (hee hee) If I do it long enough, she gives up and we go home. She says "ouch" a lot, so I know it probably hurts a little. OWWW! OK...A LOT! (she made me say that!)

Tomorrow is Columbus Day so banks, and schools and courts are closed. Mom is sort of closed too, but she'll probably sneak us in after lunch to do some catch up. She says I need a toybox for all my stuff. Maybe we'll go and get one? I do tend to leave evidence of my existence all over the office, so you can't even take a couple of steps without dodging one of my toys. Last week, Sonia was tippy-toeing around my toys and ended up stepping in my water bowl. My FULL water bowl, I might add. No big deal on the carpet. It dries fast. But it took her a bit to get the water out of her shoe. I make sure no one forgets my presence. :o)

I'm very sorry I didn't write in my diary yesterday. I was tired. Mom was brain dead. And the birds don't know how to spell, but they're pretty good at pecking. Anyways, nothing of great import happened. We made coffee, did some laundry, watched a movie, called my Grandma at the rehab place a few times. She's getting better, but (as Mom puts it) her "Lah ti Dah, Surgeon" acts like he's too "spaaaayshul" to go see her in the rehab center and wants her to come to HIS office. If my Grandma can't even go home, how's he expect her to put on a dress and go see him? Some people get so hung up on whoop-ti-doo, like being SOOOO important that they don't consider the feelings of other people. Sounds like he thinks his title of "Surgeon" makes him a big deal.

Well, I have news for him. I have a "Pedigree" that says I'm related to this Champion and that Champion. Mom says that makes me special, but I never EVER say anything about it to anyone except maybe one of the cats (if they make me really mad and say bad words to me). I just want people to remember me for being the nicest and most loving puppy they ever met, and the very best behaved, too! So much that they want to go adopt someone just like me and give them a "forever" home. I want the name "Mary-Margaret O'Brien" to make people feel all warm and fuzzy in their hearts. Mary+Margaret+O'Brien = LOVE. Yup! That's meeeee!

Friday, October 06, 2006

Up up up (yawn) and make coffee. Run run...chase a cat or two. Hurry hurry....don't be late. Mom has to leave for doctor appointment at 1:00PM, which means get work done, take me home and drive to Riverside. Running late, so I get tossed inside the house and off she goes. Well, SOMEONE forgot to tell her that her eyes were going to be dilated and she would be blind as a bat for a couple of hours. Probably a good thing I wasn't with her on her way back. Sheesh....even with dark glasses, she was lucky to see the yellow line in the middle of the road.

Cake is gone - Fidel had a huge piece, and Melanie finished it off. Ew...it was good going down, but not a good choice for me. The snack vending lady gave me a St Bernard size doggie biscuit. About noon, the rent-a-cops were going up and down the street with their megaphones telling everyone to move their cars or they'd be towed. How rude...and we are in a business district. But every so often there are "Rod Runs" and the macho guys get out their toys and show off. And everything else grinds to a halt. We can't even GET to our office on days like that, so might as well close up and go home. Sort of an enforced early closing?

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Today I ate lemon cake. First, a little taste, then another...another....!! Yum. One of our clients brought us a lemon bundt cake yesterday to say thanks for doing a good job. Everybody got a slice but me. I got a piece that someone dropped. Today, Mom let me have a few pieces especially for me. I threw up an hour later, but that's not the point. The point is....it's nice to be invited to share, but next time I'll know better, and say "No, thank you! I'm on a diet!", and let it go at that. If you ask me, Mom would be well off to do the same. But I won't say that. Uh uh! Not meeeee!

So this afternoon, Sonia was looking for her pen. She noticed I was racing myself back and forth between her office and Moms. "Mary-Margaret, what ARE you doing?", she asked. I kept going zippity-do-dah and finally she said "Aha! So YOU have it!". She started to reach for it, but I zipped back to Mom's. Mom said "Drop it!", so I did. Mom picked it up, but she was busy and Sonia was busy, and finally Mom said "Oh, here, Mary-Margaret. Go give it to Sonia." So I did. Wow....did they make a fuss over me or what? You'd think I'd just saved the world from being hit by an asteroid or something. "Goooood Girl, Mary-Margaret!", they said. Over and over. I think maybe my job description will be slightly altered. I am also a good "delivery puppy" or "cur-ier". (lol)

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Mom found out this morning that we are not going to get MY house in the woods. She seems fine with that, but I tell YOUUU! I'm NOT! Someone made a cash offer with NO contingencies, and for more than the asking price. Maybe it was a good deal for them, but not for us. Still, house or not, I had pretty much taken a liking to those trees.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

I can't count, but Mom can. One..two..three...four..."Aaaaack, Mary-Margaret", she says. "There are SEVEN cats out there". So I left a perfectly good and warm diced chicken dinner to go do my job. One big cat, a couple of smaller ones, then some even smaller ones, and one dinky kitty. I tell YOUUUUUU.....the NERVE of them. I chased them off, even the little ones who were clinging to the other side of our wrought iron fence. I went "boo" and they skittered down the slope.

What IS it with these things anyway? Every time I look there are more of them. I feel as if I'm under assault. Terrorists, that's what they are. Mom says she's going to call animal control. She doesn't want them getting run over in the street, and I sure don't want them using MY back yard for their litter box. They don't even COVER their "stuff".

Whew! We finally got home about 11:30 last night. I was absolutely exhausted. Of course, the first thing I did was go say hello to the cat family. I think they live on the other side of our fence in the bushes. They're not owned by anyone. They're homeless but neighbors feed them. Mom says they're "feral", whatever that means. I kinda feel a little bit sorry for them, so I go say "Hello".

My scent will now be known in THREE airports - Harrisburg (in the puppy lot), Dulles International in Washington DC and Denver. I decided that THIRTEEN HOURS was way too long for ANYONE to hold it, so I went to the "ladies" room and used my piddle pad. I should have listened to my mom the first time, but no. I am very well mannered and REALLY don't like having "accidents" at all. (I still absolutely think it's crazy for anyone to pee at seven miles high, though, don't you think??)

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures I sent. We've heard absolutely nothing yet about the house. I don't know if that's bad or good. People do things kind of strangely. If it were MEEE, I woulda said "yes" or "no" to the offer first thing off. Like if a cat shows up in my back yard, I chase it. I don't just sit there waiting to see if another more fearsome cat shows up. Oh well!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Here's me on a walk with Mom. I'm standing on a bridge by "A" Dock and surveying our lake. This is where I met the squirrel. Here's what our lake looks like from "A" Dock And here's our lot on Geronimo Road, looking at it from the neighbor's driveway. That trailer you see belongs to him. But he's going to move it because it's a ....a...oh, fooey. Mom just doesn't want any kids playing on it and maybe getting hurt.And here's a view of the lakes and the trees from about half-way up Moccasin Drive. We just happened to be there - no reason - although there IS a nice house for sale on that street. Mom just says it's a bit out of our range right now.

Ohh....I am hoping, but if you want to know the truth? I think Mom's the one that really wants that house. I mean, I do, too. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm cool either way. When you're a dog, you just go wherever and don't sweat the small stuff.

(this is the house we put an offer on)(this is the house we put an offer on) Mom says not to hold our breath, though. A lot of people want that house and if it's meant to be it will happen. Otherwise, "I should just be happy to get my very first plane ride". (Yeah, sure. I want THAT house!! It just says "MEEEEE" all over it!)

Re my plane ride, I have to remember to ask for my wings, though. Darn! I forgot last time.